Svitzer switches to biofuels in Danish port

Svitzer’s tugs operating at the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark have switched to biofuel to contribute to the decarbonisation of shipping and the port’s objective to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The change took effect on 1 February, and Svitzer tugs now sail on HVO, and clients who use Svitzer’s towing services in and out of the port will be subject to EcoBAF, or Ecofriendly Bunker Adjustment Factor.

Mathias Jonasson, Managing Director, Svitzer Scandinavia, said: “At Svitzer, we are committed to decarbonising our operations which must be carbon neutral by 2040. We can only achieve this ambition by working with like-minded partners and customers.

“I’m both proud and excited that Port of Esbjerg and Grimaldi share our commitment to creating cleaner operations to benefit local communities and nature in Esbjerg and the West Coast of Jutland.”

Dennis Pedersen, CEO of Esbjerg Port, added: “We acknowledge that transitioning to biofuels comes with additional costs for our customers using our port facilities. But it is a necessary next step in the green transition; that’s why I’m very grateful that both Grimaldi and Svitzer understand this and will now use cleaner fuels.”

In May 2024, Grimaldi Group announced the commencement of the Grimaldi Satellite Berthing 2 project (GSAB2).